News

Hot Topics:

Robots compete at York Expo Center this weekend

By NIKELLE SNADER

505-5431/@ydschools

Posted:
04/03/2014 05:05:13 PM EDT

Updated:
04/03/2014 05:14:51 PM EDT

High school sophomore Ramy Warda suits up for his robotics "Radioactive Raiders" at the FIRST Tech Challenge East Super-Regional Championship at Memorial Hall at the York Expo Center Thursday. (Bill Kalina)

The York Expo Center's Memorial Hall is the place to be this weekend to spot school mascots, superhero capes and robots.

The capes and costumes are just for show — the real attention will be focused on the machines that compete in the East Super-Regional robotics championship this weekend.

No local teams advanced to the super-regional competition, but robotic teams from Virginia to Maine have traveled to York in hopes of being one of 25 from the event selected for a worldwide competition. And the odds are one in three for advancement, as 72 teams are registered for the competition.

The competition is hosted by FIRST Tech Challenge, a group that hosted smaller robotics competitions at Penn State York this year.

Teams had their robots tested Thursday for software and mechanical specifications and will be ready for competition Friday, said tournament co-director Tom Zawislak. The competitions will run about five to six minutes each, with eight matches per team, in which teams earn points for moving blocks with their robots.

"It keeps the day moving," he said.

The event is free and open to the public. For robot diehards, competitions will be held from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Friday and from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when the competition ends.

Qualifying teams will move on to the worldwide competition in St. Louis later this month.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story